Garlic Naan Bread

You’ll want to make this easy Indian flatbread every week. You might actually make it every 4 months cause that’s how life works.. but you’ll WANT to make it more.

quickie

• Activate the yeast
• Mix and then knead the dough
• Rest (proof) for 60-90 minutes
• Separate into balls, rest for 10-15 minutes
• Roll out and cook
• Watch the news and be sad. Then watch Parks and Rec and just be.

Servings:

• 6 naans 

Time:

• 2ish hours, but most of that is letting the dough rest.

Nutritional information: 

• It’s bread and it’s garlic butter and it’s awesome.

Special Equipment: 

• Rolling pin

Grocery List:

• 1 pack dry active yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
• ½ tbsp white sugar
• ¼ cup warm water
• ¼ cup warm milk
• ⅓ cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp oil (veg/canola/olive)
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ghee or butter
• A few cloves garlic
• Cilantro (optional)

Learning is fun!

What is commonly known as naan bread in western culture originated from the Indian subcontinent. In Iran, ‘nan’ is a generic term for any kind of bread. The more you know!

A story you don’t care about:

When I was a young kid my parents took us to an East Indian restaurant called The Sitar, in Ottawa. The servers were either so impressed or so disgusted that my 3 also-super-white siblings and I were throwing down so much spicy curry that they invited us into the back and showed us how they cook naan by throwing it against the sides of a tandoor. Then I played an arcade game called Gauntlet in a laundromat with my brother while my dad did laundry. I guess you could say that Ottawa was pretttty sweet.

LESS quickie

Process:

In a large bowl mix ¼ cup warm water with ½ tbsp white sugar and 1 package of dry active yeast (2 ¼ tsp). Let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it activates. When you see some bubbling/frothing action say “Yeast… Activated” in a robot voice, which will help the dough rise in later stages.

Stir in ¼ cup of warm milk (slightly warmed in a microwave is just fine), ⅓ cup yogurt, 1 tbsp of oil, 2 cups all purpose flour and ½ tsp salt. Mix it all together with a spoon until it comes together in a mess that’s not a real shape at all but can be referred to as a ‘shaggy dough ball’.

Lightly flour a clean flat surface and knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until it’s smooth and can be formed into a real shape like a ball. It may be sticky at first and will lose some of this after a few minutes of kneading, but if you think it’s too sticky you can add a tsp or so of flour at a time until it’s just right, meaning it’s elasticy and bounces back slowly when poked.

Place the doughball in a bowl and pour a splash of oil over it. Roll it around so it gets lightly coated. Cover with a plate or towel and let it sit in a warm area (like under a bright oven light or near a heating element) until the ball has doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.

While this is proofing (rising) melt 2 tbsp ghee or butter on medium. Add 3-4 crushed garlic cloves and cook for about 2 minutes before removing from heat. You don’t want the garlic browning, just very slightly cooked. Once it has cooled a bit add some chopped cilantro.

After the dough has doubled, punch the inflated ball to release some air. You’re supposed to do this lightly but cooking is therapy so punch however you see fit. After all you’ve had a tough day/week/year.

Form the dough into a rectangle-y type thing so you can cut it into 6 evenly sized pieces. Loosely roll these into balls and cover with a towel for 10-15 minutes to proof a second time.

While the dough is proofing again heat a skillet on medium/high. Once the doughballs have roughly doubled in size, roll them out on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛” - ¼” thick. I aim for nerf football sizes.

Place the rolled out naan in the hot skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on the first side. Bubbles will form and you can lift it to see if it’s at your desired doneness (you’re looking for spots of nice golden brown). Then flip for another 1-2 minutes.

You can push down with a spatula if you want more dark spots. They won’t all cook the same but when you get that perfect amount of bubbling and some slight char, you’ll feel an enormous sense of self worth. It’s fleeting, but for the moment you’ve earned it and should enjoy it.

Brush the top with the garlic butter and lightly sprinkle with salt. Add another smattering of cilantro if you like.

You can leave the finished naan in the oven on very low or wrapped in foil until ready to serve. Serve them with a dal or other curry of your choice. Or just eat them as garlic bread cause they’re good enough to stand alone. Blammo.